FREE Mods to Boost Small Engine Horsepower! Pt. 1 

I did this to my riding lawnmower and i got the grass cut in about 7 minutes. Thanks

It's nice to see a channel that still sticks to its roots and listens to their subscribers on what they want. Great video guys and keep em coming

What I have always like about you guys is you don't stray very far from your beginnings. You change things up from time to time to keep it interesting. Thanks guys for another great video.

We fought carburetor problems most of the day, but it ran so much better in the end! I guess the best way to fix a Tecumseh carburetor is to replace it with a 212 carb!

Hi Guys, great info. I'm a Briggs guy and what I have found and what I do is for the 5 HP Briggs, i.e. go kart engines. Is to shave off the decompression bump on the cam. This increases the sweep area of the cylinder. This increases HP by about 20%. In some engines you can just shave the end of that valve stem.

#1 rule for small engines/outboards/weedwackers etc... STOP USING GAS WITH ETHANOL (just my two cents there) Great video guys 👍

You guys should build a diesel go cart! It would we cool and very torque

put the old engine out of the miata into an off-road kart

Man ike is such a badass "mechanic" that guy has seen everything from basic valve float up to exhaust coming out the intake and intake coming through exhaust. He just like. Knows everything.

Hey @CarsandCameras - You guys want to know how I significantly improved the drag racing times of my kart? **WARNING: This is an IRREVERSIBLE MODIFICATION!** I removed the centrifugal clutch from the engine and modified it as follows: (1) Took the clutch drum off of the assembly via the snap ring. (IMPORTANT: Mark the face of the snap ring with a Sharpie and DO NOT flip the snap ring over when you reassemble the unit!) (2) Carefully removed the spring that encircles the weights. (Noting the orientation of the weights for reassembly.) (3) Cut off 6 - 10 coils off the length of the spring and slightly bent the new 'last coil' to form a new hook. (4) Reassembled the spring onto the weights. (5) Placed a *tiny* film of grease on the drum bearing, reassembled the clutch and reinstalled it on the kart. (6) Did a test run and rinsed & repeated as needed. (Sneak up on the optimal spring length because if you cut it too short, you cannot make it longer again.) This allows a higher engine 'stall speed' which is essentially giving you a MUCH more powerful launch. The same effect can be achieved by lightening the weights of the clutch but then *the balance of the rotating assembly* will come into play and damage the clutch or engine or both can occur. Shortening the spring, and effectively making it "stronger", is the most practical way to do this modification.

That's the same exact gokart I had as a kid. Infact my first gokart. That thing was fun. And was run hard. Brings back good old memories

I just love to watch this guys. I am building my second minibike myself at this moment and the next one will have 4 wheels for sure. Got an original Honda GX200 with a 2;1 gearbox already waiting in the shed! Not sure if I'll tune it or not.... Got a big carb too, gnagna..... And BIG lawn mower tires (24x12.00-10) in the back is the plan, and to run at very low tire pressure. Plans plans plans, but no time.....

When I was a kid I had a tecumseh 8hp and I never had any real issues out of it we bored it, polished the intake and exhaust ported it slightly and used a 12hp carb with straight pipe and mine ran for many years no problems...

“We wanna go fast” Famous last words.

I just scored a brand new never used 5.5 snowking motor built in 2007, Four months before Tecumseh stopped production. So now I'm free to play around with my old 5hp without fear if I kill it.

This was a fun problem solving journey. I am interested to see what kind of power these motors can make. Everyone knows what a moded up predator can do but taking an unknown and pushing it is a cool idea.

Thank you! I love the idea of a regular budget build/ garage sale find, repair and run series.

How to fix a Tecumseh: Step 1 add gravel to the crankcase, step 2 run the engine at full rev with no governor, step 3 throw in trash after it blows.

I had the same go kart only red and no cage. me and a few friends worked on it with a carb held on by wire,a leaky gas hose,it starved on gas if you went left, and it took 2 people to work it one steering and one backward controling the gas best time of my life

Im warning you, when you do this kind of stuff you trade reliability for speed.Dont forget that.

I wonder how difficult it would be to build independent suspension for a little buggy like this

That go kart in the opening sequence had so much understeer from the power XD

Just gotta say, you guys have the actual best video quality on RU-vid

Go kart tip #1 have a clean carb lmao

Keep it up fellas, this stuff makes my week! 😀

What a happy coincidence! I've been looking for some mods to do to my old engine. Thanks for the great videos guys!

Basics inspection. True with any kind of small engine. Check the easy stuff. Put fresh gas in. Clean out the old gas. Dump the carb bowl out. Clean the spark plug(s) Check air filter. Then start it up with a correct oil level. That's before mods. Patience is rewarding. When your knees and back ache all the time, you get smarter. Pulling that rope once should be enough. Be glad if you're not too big and heavy. Your toys have to be bigger and more expensive.

I keep hoping to some episode hear Issac say, HEY Y'ALL! WATCH THIS!!!!!!

Inspiring! I'm no mechanic,,but I've learned using non ethanol gasps much better for any engine specifically smaller engines

YES!!! MORE BUDGET!!!

We had a lawnmower with a Tecumseh 3hp motor. It was bought in 1988, and still runs to this day. Never changed the oil or spark plug, only put gas in it and ran it. They're tanks.

Great job. Note to people,make sure your bare skin is covered. I sure this guy felt the "sun burn " on his unprotected skin. Welding gloves & long sleeve shirt

Bro where tf did you find the actual cart, where do YOU find these minibikes i see… i just did a full refurb on a 1998 3.5 horizontal shaft B$S from an unknown machine for $20, but i cannot for the life of me find anything minibike wise under $200, im not tryna spend a lot, i do college, full time job and trying to pay car monthlys so its not in my budget to spend hundreds

Great content as always. Thumbs up before the video even starts.

Being a Tecumseh owner myself I can say they really all do hate bumps, it’s the way the float is, just makes it flood and starve

The transition at 11:20 was SMOOOOOOOOOTH

In the first lap is sounded like it was about to die the whole time 😂 hence the carb problems

my first mod back in the day was was to shorten the governor spring to tighten it my first mini bike was a Tecumseh I spent hours fixing it and was lucky to get much riding time at all when it did run it was a blast love the vids keep up the great work

WOAH JUST REALIZED THE MIATAS AHHHHHHHHH favorite channel I can work on my project miata and project go kart!

You dudes are like the more skids of go karting ! So cool guys

Have you looked into making your own dyno? For comparative tests between engines you could just have a heavy flywheel that you spin and monitor RPM, plot the rate of change in rpm and it should show power

"It'll Be Fine" use's vise grips to hold on a carburetor - Me wtf that works =) .... Oh man you guys are still so true to you're famous quotes. Thanks for the sick video John and Ike also dope build off bike boys - sorry it did not work out in the end but hell the suspense of me wanting it to work is what made it a wicked video thanks again. ;) also Good Camera Work guys

Growing up i had a gokart similar with a 5hp Tecumseh engine. I think i’ve had two or three different 5hp Tecumseh engines and I never liked them. Always swapped them out with a Briggs. The last gokart I “built” and sold had a 212cc Predator with some mods. I was a bigger gokart than shown in this video, live rear axle, CVT, and IFS. Last one I purchased was a few years ago…250cc water cooled Kandi buggy. Just rebuilt the engine a few months back. Currently waiting for summer to bed line the entire frame

9:48 there may not have actually been anything wrong with the idle circuit. Tecumseh's are really sensitive when it comes to idle RPM you could be off by less than 50 RPM and have the engine die the second you put it under load.

Careful with that PB blaster or whatever nut breaker you were using to lubricate the steering, it is not meant as a lubricant and will only work for a short time before drying out. You want to use actual oil or grease or lubricant of some kind, not a solvent based nut breaker like PB or WD40.

Damn Rooster was yelling " I told you soooooo " at the end about the carburetor,😂. 👍👍. Love these type vids, thanks

This is the most classic cars and cameras video you guys have made in a while. I love it! I mean, vice grips holding on the carburetor! Thats what this channel is about.

Thanks for all the great tips guys

No comments yet?

U guys have to listen to the chicken more the chicken is always right lol

On honda and predator small engines, if you bypass the governor, you have to split the case open and remove the governor components inside the engine or it will cut out like this. Only recommendation I might add if you are gonna remove the governor is to swap the stock valve springs out with stiffer ones so that you dont overrev the engine

Yay budget builds!!!

Now open header jajajajaja Cool vid guys! You both are the best :-)

That looked fun as f#?k !!! Reminded me of the time I put 16hp on lil 5hp frame go-cart; had it all painted looking nice but forgot to hook the brakes back up..🤦🏼‍♂️ Well when I fired that mother up it took off like a jet,.. me with one foot on the pavement and other on the go cart, one hand on the wheel.. it did about a dozen donuts, go it straightened out a bit after bouncing off my brother in laws 70sStingray parked in the driveway .. pretty much balls to the wall down the hill of the drive, around the curve and into my neighbors chicken coop. MAN !! What A Rush!!! I didn't feel bad about the vette, due to his dumb ass was who left brakes unhooked.😏it left a really wide skid from tire to tire, I knew he later buffed out.I was only 11 yrs old at the time but that day I got the need, the need for speed🤦🏼‍♂️😂😆🏎💨...

Tougher valvesprings work very good too. Got a gx 200 revving to 8k with improvised dual valvesprings.

I loves me some "riggery"....... That there is some solid mechaneering / contraptioneering. Youngins pay attention to ole Ike, he knows what he's doing and if you learn nothing else, learn that you can do alot of tweaking and messing around with small engines without ruining them, regardless of what your Dad says......

Ike finally says “I wanna go fast”

Great addition to your video collection!

i just got a free pred 212 still in the box.. cant wait to build a cart and i think im close to you guys. 30 mins from Greenville NC. great content.

I had one of those motors on my go kart and it had the same problem so we put a Predator 212cc on it now it goes 30

You know what I would love to see? Ike and Jhon doing a street bike engine into a quad build. Like if you agree.

Holy shit! I know Jason I used to work with him at Allstar years ago!

I love these guys, they're the reason I ride, the only downfall is that I'm famous in the police department, joking, but for real, the cops hate me..

Bald tires are one of the unwritten rules of carting. Great channel guys. Me and my son are huge fans.

Happy birthday, John!

The rooster said it needs more speed

Hey I have this same moter do you know where I can get a air filter and adapter for this? Thank you

Video may not have had the outcome you wanted, but its still informative and intertaining for someone just getting into small engine modifications in 2022!

thanks for sharing, this was fun to watch :)

Put some turf saver tires on the 200 shifter kart and ikes kart and see if the times inprove. For testing purposes only of course!

Hey I have a predator 212 stock and it runs great at around 30mph but the thing is I can only start and run it on choke. Is there any reason why or would it not make a difference if I could run it on run without it stalling?

Hey guys love ur work watch all the time but I'm a budget builder. With that air box I just drilled a bunch of holes with a half inch bit to let in more air then u don't have to cut the air filter works on predators to

Always great uploads guys! Keep em commin....lol but plz try n actually do the free performance mods before and after next time or next next time if y'all remember lol...love ur channel!!

That is awesome great helpful video

6:37 they took our jeaaabs

Luv you guys great show I’ve got a couple mini atvs that need a lot of work and y’all hav motivated me to finally get em goin again

Make a go kart strictly for burning rubber n doing donuts. Or a funny bike style drag bike to go along with the "rail"

Good Job guys those tecumseh carbs have been known to have issues but I will say they are pretty easy to work on and fix. Good series keep it up!!!

Glad I’m not the only dyslexic guy alive haha 😂

Good job Jon you finally said Predators Honda clones and other. I tell people Predator engine’s aren’t Honda clones from experience and validation from ARC Racing. I built a Predator 212cc Hemi and unlike the GX200cc the wrist pin on a Predator is larger the camshaft on a GX200 wobbles when put in a Predator block as for other variables. The Coleman ct200U 196cc is a Honda GX200 clone as parts are interchangeable. ARC Racing has a video to validate this and said Predator engine is made by Predator for Harbor Freight. They say people order high performance mods for their Predator engines but say Honda clone when they should be saying Predator. You guys need to let people know Predator is not from old Honda castings!

i don't run filters on Tecumseh till they blow then put a predator on it lol.

step one: throw that pos tecumseh away step two: install a briggs 5 hp step three: call it at that.

Hey guys, this was a cool video! I am a home machinist who loves small engines and I am currently working on two of these Tecumseh OHH series Engines and modding them for racing. I am also developing a new bolt on carburetor and intake system for them. Once I have a prototype built I would like to send you guys one of my intake and carb setups to try on this cart if you are interested... let me know. I hope to see some more videos of the old Tecumseh soon! Thanks for posting this vid!

I purchased a xtremepowerus 15hp engine and was hoping for some advice on part modifications to improve performance. I’m starting here and am looking to build a race kart like yours. Putting the tools and materials together for a cyclekart as well. You guys should look into those.

Did y'all ever take the original carb off and actually clean out all if the circuits and actually clean out the tank? I would of thought that after y'all took off the bowl twice and especially saw water in there it would've been a no brainer to flush it out and use fresh gas. Y'all probably did, I'm just curious because y'all never mentioned if you did in the video.

How about you guys build a twin steering go-kart?

Gonna do all this to my sons! Thanks guys! Helped out a bunch. We got a ironton 208cc but bypassing the gov and doing the carb forsure!

I appreciate the lack of time lapses. yall take your time. thank you.

lmao i had the same motor. throttle stuck and didnt have a kill switch so i spent 10 minutes wide open around my neighborhood lap after lap. Eventually all the oil came out and it locked up. Thank god cause it was a full tank of gas

Guys I like the way you two think

You should do "Cheap mods" where you get like a pz22 carb kit for like $25 off of ebay and other cheap "performance" engine parts and see how they perform with that engine.

Small engine? So it'll work on my 1.6 miata? Practically a lawn mower! haha

TE-KUM-SAAAAAAAHHHHH.....

1:55 That's a Tecumseh for ya!

Super awesome video sweet the thing gets up👌👌👌💪💪💪👍👍👍👍

That was fun :)

Those Tecumsehs suck, I had one, got it to run good Enough to sell, and sold it for 100 bucks. What do you know, a predator costs that! Much better engine!

I will admit that I still like Briggs & Stratton engines better, but Tecumseh engines aren't terrible. Their biggest problem, the carburetors are absolute garbage. Always have been and always will be. It's just a worse design overall when you compare it to a competitor. Our old Toro snowblower we bought back in 2000/2001 had a 6.5 hp Tecumseh on it and it was strong. But the carb was total junk and was clunky to get off when you had to clean it. As much as Ike shudders at the idea of touching a Tecumseh maybe you guys should take it and see what you can get out of it like the 212's? Give it the 212 treatment with a Mikuni carb and cone air filter? Possibly some other mods? Because people aren't always going to want to spend $120 to switch out the engine on a go-kart if it runs just because it's a Tecumseh. :)

Lightweight + more suitable tires = quick!

Great! I love budget builds, I have a budget Murray. Love the channel